Satellite Update – Oct. 14, 2010

• Sirius XM Radio Inc requested modification of its Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS) XM-2 authorization to allow the satellite to be moved from its currently assigned orbital location of 85.217 degrees west longitude (WL) to 115.25 degrees WL and to operate it at that location with a +/- 0.1 degree east/west station-keeping tolerance.

• Sirius XM Radio requested special temporary authority (STA) for 180 days to continue to operate two SDARS terrestrial repeaters in New York, N.Y. with an EIRP of up to 2,000 Watts. One repeater will operate in the 2320-2332.5 MHz band and the other in the 2332.5-2345 MHz band.

• On Oct. 5, the FCC International Bureau's Satellite Division granted PanAmSat Licensee Corp. STA for 30 days to continue to conduct telemetry, tracking and telecommand operations with Galaxy 15 outside its previously authorized +/-0.05 degree east/west station-keeping box. Galaxy 15 status information is available on the Galaxy 15 resources web page. Galaxy 15 did not lose power and reboot, as expected earlier this month. The satellite's momentum wheels are now expected to become fully saturated, causing the satellite to off-point and lose power sometime between Nov. 28 and Dec., 2010. Galaxy 15 passed Satmex 6 this week. Just because Galaxy 15 is not in the news to the extent it was a few months ago doesn't mean Intelsat and Orbital Sciences engineers haven't been busy. These engineers, working with the operators and customers of the satellites it passes, have done an excellent job avoiding any major outages.